Transfer Window Summer 2025. The Verdict.

[PeterWithesShin]

Summer signing squad numbers in full are as follows:

3. Victor Lindelöf
9. Harvey Elliott
19. Jadon Sancho
29. Evann Guessand
40. Marco Bizot

[Mister E]

* Some of the youngsters are ready to be properly introduced to first-team football

which ones?

Jimoh-Aliba, Burrowes, Hemmings, Rowe and Patterson seem to be the ones Emery has looked at during pre-season. I'd like to think they'll get some gametime in the cups and in Europe. Hemmings, to me, looks most ready, but I'm not watching them in training every day.
We really need Wilson and Cotcher - the two junior stikers - to step up, too.

[Percy McCarthy]

If Watkins had left, Villa had a list of potential replacements. RB Leipzig’s Lois Openda was admired and so too was Nicolas Jackson, who Emery worked with at Villarreal.

Given we were looking at a forward who could play across the front, were mainly looking at loan signings, and we've allegedly been interested before was surprised to see Openda move on loan to Juventus yesterday.

I'd have preferred that to Guessand.

Yes, I really like Openda too.

[Gareth]

* Some of the youngsters are ready to be properly introduced to first-team football

which ones?

Jimoh-Aliba, Burrowes, Hemmings, Rowe and Patterson seem to be the ones Emery has looked at during pre-season. I'd like to think they'll get some gametime in the cups and in Europe. Hemmings, to me, looks most ready, but I'm not watching them in training every day.
We really need Wilson and Cotcher - the two junior stikers - to step up, too.

Agree & would add Broggio & possibly Borland to that list where there could be opportunities to get on the bench occasionally

[paul_e]

* Some of the youngsters are ready to be properly introduced to first-team football

which ones?

Jimoh-Aliba, Burrowes, Hemmings, Rowe and Patterson seem to be the ones Emery has looked at during pre-season. I'd like to think they'll get some gametime in the cups and in Europe. Hemmings, to me, looks most ready, but I'm not watching them in training every day.
We really need Wilson and Cotcher - the two junior stikers - to step up, too.

Proctor is clearly the 3rd keeper as well.

[Brazilian Villain]

Jimoh-Aliba, Burrowes, Hemmings, Rowe and Patterson seem to be the ones Emery has looked at during pre-season. I'd like to think they'll get some gametime in the cups and in Europe. Hemmings, to me, looks most ready, but I'm not watching them in training every day.
We really need Wilson and Cotcher - the two junior stikers - to step up, too.

Tristan Rowe has joined Ligue 2 side FC Annecy on a season long loan.

[eamonn]

That piece by Tanswell shows just how headshrinking it must be. Players are moving parts like cattle looking for the hest field to graze on. We've had to manage money, egos, whatif scenarios and a host of other logistics. Of course every other club does too to some extent but it must be high-pressure when these lads are costing & earning absolute fortunes and bleeding the club dry.

[PeterWithesShin]

This article shows how 1 thing can effect a number of clubs.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cvgngkwyx4ro

[Rudy Can't Fail]

* Some of the youngsters are ready to be properly introduced to first-team football

which ones?

Jimoh-Aliba, Burrowes, Hemmings, Rowe and Patterson seem to be the ones Emery has looked at during pre-season. I'd like to think they'll get some gametime in the cups and in Europe. Hemmings, to me, looks most ready, but I'm not watching them in training every day.
We really need Wilson and Cotcher - the two junior stikers - to step up, too.

The only thing I would add/change is I don't want to see our youngsters lumped all together in a crappy cup game or in Europe. I want to see the introduced into the first XI, off the bench to begin with and not 5 minutes of added time. Give them a chance to show what they can do with the best around them, not a mish-mash of the 'rest' cobbled together. It's the only way they really should be judged.

[paul_e]

* Some of the youngsters are ready to be properly introduced to first-team football

which ones?

Jimoh-Aliba, Burrowes, Hemmings, Rowe and Patterson seem to be the ones Emery has looked at during pre-season. I'd like to think they'll get some gametime in the cups and in Europe. Hemmings, to me, looks most ready, but I'm not watching them in training every day.
We really need Wilson and Cotcher - the two junior stikers - to step up, too.

The only thing I would add/change is I don't want to see our youngsters lumped all together in a crappy cup game or in Europe. I want to see the introduced into the first XI, off the bench to begin with and not 5 minutes of added time. Give them a chance to show what they can do with the best around them, not a mish-mash of the 'rest' cobbled together. It's the only way they really should be judged.

I agree completely, one of thethings we've got badly wrong in the past is 'kids' getting 15-20 appearances but most of them being either a few minutes in a dead game or thrown together as a sacrifice in the cup. 2-3 managers over the last 20-30years have been particularly bad for that, MON probably the worst.

I'd like players to come through in a similar way to Bogarde if possible.

[chrisw1]

This article shows how 1 thing can effect a number of clubs.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cvgngkwyx4ro

Sources close to the deal explained that Chelsea ultimately ended up getting improved terms for Jackson, with Bayern now paying a £14.3m loan fee with an obligation to buy based on appearances made for £56m.  A total package in excess of £70m would be some return for a player that cost £32m from Villarreal in 2023.

It's remarkable how Chelsea keep getting such high fees for players they have essentially written off.  In the meantime, they are paying Stirling £300k a week for two more seasons to train alone and I assume, given the massive cost of our loan last season, Disasi who is keeping him company is also on a big whack.

[Dave]

Disasi's apparently only on £40k per week.

[Hookeysmith]

Disasi's apparently only on £40k per week.

Poor bloke

[Somniloquism]

I'm surprised because he cost about £40mil. I realise he wouldn't on a lot coming from the French Leagues as well but it does make you wonder if they load the payments to them some other way, after all Chelsea does seem to be  masters of loophole payments which leaves most other clubs in the dust.

[Sexual Ealing]

Their new contracts are heavily incentivised on performance (I heard or read this, can't remember where). Someone like Palmer will have more than doubled his basic wage last season as a result. Disasi, not so much.